In response to recent attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, an additional 1,000 U.S. troops are being sent to the Middle East, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced Monday.
The U.S. says Iran is behind the attacks, and Shanahan said "hostile behavior by Iranian forces and their proxy groups ... threaten United States personnel and interests across the region." These troops, who will join 1,500 other soldiers sent to the region last month after similar tanker attacks, are "for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats in the Middle East," Shanahan added.
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